Columbia eyes team for international cycling

MANILA, Philippines – Encouraged by the performance of its riders in the recent Padyak Pinoy Tour of Champions, Columbia Sportswear has decided to retain the team’s core with the hope of performing better in future local and overseas competitions.

 “We believe these riders embody the ideals and image of what Columbia stands for as a leading quality outdoor and sportswear company,” Jimmy Thai, president of Primer Group of Companies, exclusive local Columbia distributor, said at the team’s presentation held at the R.O.X outdoor gear store at The Fort in Taguig.

Skippered by veteran internationalist Arnel Quirimit, the 2003 Tour Pilipinas king, the Columbia cyclists finished fourth overall in the eight-day bikefest despite a costly error of race marshals who showed them the wrong way in the penultimate leg of the event.

“Our riders showed a lot of spunk, fighting spirit and poise so that they would not lose too much ground and still finish among the top five in the team overall standings,” Columbia brand manager Dino de Leon said. “These are the qualities we want our cyclists to have.”

On the other hand, assistant team captain Irish Valenzuela, the 2006 Padyak Pinoy Rookie of the Year, ruled the second stage, finished seventh overall in the individual standings and emerged the Tour’s most promising rider under 23 years old.

Teammates and Tour newcomers Rex Carino and Bernard Biasura also made their presence felt by finishing among the top seven rookies in the event.

Rounding out the team coached by Reynaldo Navarro is Emil Pablo, a rider from the cycling stronghold of Pangasinan who is no stranger to the rigors and challenges of the annual Tour.

De Leon said they plan to scourt other cyclists to complete a team that will vie in cycling competitions around Asia. 

“We are still in the process of choosing the races where our riders can compete overseas because we believe the exposure will further hone their skills and raise their performance levels,” he said.

Thai and De Leon said the idea of forming a local Columbia team is similar to the objective of its parent American company, which is bankrolling the Columbia Highroad squad currently making waves in the ongoing Giro d’ Italia, one of the world’s top races next to the Tour de France.

De Leon added that Team Columbia will also be harnessed in the company’s advocacy of environment-friendly transportation, revealing that Columbia just forged a partnership with the UP Mountaineers for the use of bikes in going around the university campus.

“Through this venture we hope to raise public awareness of the health and ecological benefits of cycling,” he said.